Biometrics bill sees backlash, Windows 10, Apple patents, fingerprint technology & more top stories

Here’s a recap of the most popular biometrics industry news that appeared on BiometricUpdate.com this past week.

Windows 10

Microsoft’s Windows 10 continued to make headlines this week with its biometric authentication feature. The software vendor projects it will install its new Windows 10 operating system into 1 billion devices by 2017, and in doing so, will effectively eliminate the password.

Meanwhile, Window 10’s multimodal biometric authentication security feature will reportedly require “depth cameras” with infrared light sensors, which analysts and PC manufacturers say are too costly to integrate into the popular, lower-range PCs available on the market.

Legislation

Australia’s Coalition is experiencing considerable opposition in parliament over a new bill which aims to make it mandatory for citizens to provide their biometric data at international ports.

Fingerprint technology

Apple is applying for a US patent for a new technology that is able to collect fingerprint data using special “sensing pixels” within screens, which would effectively eliminate need for a physical “home” button on future iPhone models .

In other fingerprint news, IDEX ASA announced it has partnered with an undisclosed global payments firm to develop a worldwide biometric payment card program.

Meanwhile, Beijing-based security technology firm Ola announced it has developed a Bluetooth-enabled smart entry lock integrated with a Fingerprint Cards FPC1020 capacitive touch fingerprint sensor in the handle.

Synaptics Inc. successfully reached a new milestone by shipping more than 200 million units of its Natural ID fingerprint authentication solutions.

MarketsandMarkets has published a new report entitled “Fingerprint Sensors Market by Type (Swipe & Area), Technology, Material (Optical Prism, Piezoelectric, Capacitive & Adhesives), Application (Mobile, Government, Healthcare, Commercial Security & Others) & Geography – Global Forecast to 2014 – 2020“, which forecasts that the global fingerprint sensors market will experience a CAGR of 17.1% from $5.5 billion in 2014 to reach $14.5 billion by 2020.

And in what is perhaps the most intriguing research involving fingerprint technology to surface in recent months, a Michigan State University professor and his former Ph.D. student published a new paper that proves that fingerprint recognition accuracy between two comparable fingerprints remains the same over time.

Biometrics and banking

Aite Group has published a new report, “Digital Channel Fraud Mitigation: The Mobile Force Awakens,” which details the latest threats to banks and their customers, as well as banking security technologies such as biometric authentication.

Two stories this week further supported Aite’s research regarding banking institutions increased use of biometrics, starting with Wells Fargo’s announcement that it will pilot a combination of voice and face recognition biometrics technologies to authenticate mobile iPhone app users of its Commercial Electronics Office (CEO) portal.

Additionally, MasterCard will launch its own pilot face recognition program this fall in which the credit card giant will start approving online purchases with fingerprints and facial scans, in an effort to reduce fraud.

Facial recognition

In other face authentication news, Facephi signed a four-year contract with multinational financial services group BBVA Prevision AFP’s Bolivian entity to implement its face recognition system, initially to its pensioners and later to its users.

KeyLemon announced it has integrated its face and speaker recognition solution with onefacein’s biometric password solution, allowing users to securely access all of their password-protected sites with their face, voice and synced devices.

And finally, in speaker recognition news, Sensory Inc. released an a la carte SDK for the new embedded speaker verification component of its TrulySecure technology platform.

Article Topics

Anil Jain  |  Apple  |  Australia  |  banking  |  biometrics  |  FacePhi  |  Fingerprint Cards AB  |  Idex Biometrics  |  KeyLemon  |  market report  |  Mastercard  |  Microsoft  |  patents  |  Sensory  |  Synaptics  |  Windows 10